Machine for processing flexible metallic conduit

ABSTRACT

Improvements in the machine described in the applicant&#39;&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,015 wherein the conduit roller feeding drive of the machine includes a reset counter arrangement in which the idler roller of the drive operates a toothed rotary cam cooperating with a microswitch follower to send counting pulses to a reset counter that shows the amount of the conduit length to be fed, and that is being fed, through the machine, with the counter providing a visual showing of the footage involved for the conduit, length being formed and automatically is reset to zero after each set of conduit lengths is formed showing the correct instantaneous running footage of the next set of conduit lengths being processed by the machine. The functioning of the roller drive is controlled by a constant speed cam arrangement operating a second microswitch to start the feeding action, with the counter shutting off the roller drive, and resetting itself when the desired conduit length has been fed through the machine. When, for reasons of roller slippage or the like, the desired conduit length is not fed through the machine during its normal cycle, the cam arrangement involved shuts off the roller drive independently of the counter, and the counter resets itself to again show zero running footage.

[11 3,823,454 July 16, 1 974 MACHINE FOR PROCESSING FLEXIBLE METALLIC CONDUIT [75] Inventor: William J. Fisher, Lisle, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Maynard Braverman, Chicago, Ill.

a part interest [22] Filed: May 24, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 363,347

[52], US. Cl 29/33 K, 29/237, 83/522 Primary Examiner-Francis S. Husar Attorney, Agent, or Firm-..Mann, Brown, McWilliams & Bradway ABSTRACT Improvements in the machine described in the applicants US. Pat, No. 3,672,015 wherein the conduit roller feeding drive of the machine includes a reset counter arrangement in which the idler roller of the drive operates a toothed rotary cam cooperating with a microswitch follower to send counting pulses to a reset counter that shows the amount of the conduit length to be fed, and that is being fed, through the machine, with the counter providing a visual showing of the footage involved for the conduit, length being formed and automatically is reset to zero after each set of conduit lengths is formed showing the correct instantaneous running footage of the next set of conduit lengths being processed by the machine. The functioning of the roller drive is controlled by a constant speed cam arrangement operating a second microswitch to start the feeding action, with the counter shutting off the roller drive, and resetting itself when the desired conduit length has been fed through the machine. When, for reasons of roller slippage or the like, the desired conduit length is not fed through the machine during its normal cycle, the cam arrangement involved shuts off the roller drive independently of the counter, and the counter resets itself to again show -zero running footage.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIED JUL 1 61974 FIG-.3

PATENTED JUL I 61974 SHEET 3 0F 3 This invention relates to apparatus for processing flexible metallic conduit, and more particularly, to improvements in the apparatus disclosed in the applicants U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,015, graned June 27, 1972.

lengths, in which the conduit is simultaneously drawn in separate parallel strands, by a roller drive, from a number of rolls of same and is fed past a cuttingstation the conduit length desired, after which the feeding of the conduit strands ceases and the desired conduit lengths are simultaneously severed from the strands by sawing. The basic machine of said patent includes the device for mechanically rotating the individual end fittings for the conduit length ends, whereby the machine operator can individually manipulate the individual conduit length ends to apply same to the device to permit the end fitting for same to be mechanically rotated into its fully seated position in the conduit end, and the machine also includes an attachment that permits the conduit wiring to be mechanically fed into same and cut offatthe right length to complete the individual conduit assemblies.

A difficulty encountered in arranging a roller drive to draw the conduit from rolls of same is that as the rolls reduce in size, variations in the rate of feed of the conduit strands through the machine tend to be experienced, with the result that for a given time period of operation of the roller drive, the conduitlengths produced at various stages of the supply roll size will vary, where one isdepending upon lapsed time of roller drive operation to provide the conduit length desired.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a roller drive control arrangement for thebasic machine of my said patent in which the conduit lengths provided are substantially equal-in length dimension to the con duit length desired regardless of the size of the supply rolls from which the conduit is being drawn.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a drive control arrangement for the basic machine of my said patent which operates automatically, when the strand feeding mechanism is functioning, to initiate feeding through the machine the conduit lengths desired, complete the feeding to the length desired, and then shut down the feeding action for automatic conduit length cut off purposes, after which the feeding action is again instituted to start processing of the next set of equal length conduits.

Other objects of the invention are to generally im-' prove and simplify the machine of my said patent, and to provide a roller drive control arrangement for the machine of my said patent that is efficient and reliable in use, that simplifies the processing of conduit done using the machine, and that accomplishes these objectives with minimum expense and while eliminating a cause of troublesome operator error.

In accordance, with this invention, the machine is provided with a reset counter device operated from the idler roller of the machine. roller drive which accurately senses the footage of the conduit length actually fed- 2 through the machine for cutoff purposes, and is incorporated in the drive roller circuiting to shut down the roller drive when the desired footage has been provided. The counter device is of the automatic reset type, and is incorporated in the roller drive controls so that the machine may be set to provide the footage desired in a fool-proof manner, and that operates automatically to repeat conduit feeding through the machine, followed with roller drive shut off for conduit cut off purposes, to provide the number of conduit lengths desired in the length desired.

Still other objects, uses, and advantages will be obvious or become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description and the application drawings in which like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of the flexible metallic conduit processing machine of my said patent arranged in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmental cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the roller drive with the rollers in closed position, and a portion 7 of the clamp device;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental elevational view taken substantially along line 3-3 of FIG. 1, illustrating the pulsating conduit feed sensing device that is employed in connection with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the timing cam and camoperated microswitch arrangement associated therewith that form a part of this invention; I

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic elevational view of the tim- I ing cam and associated microswitch, taken substantially along line55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a wiring diagram of the machine of the invention in light of the improvements herein disclosed in diagrammatic form; and v FIG. 7 is a front view of the reset counter as it is used by the operator.

However, it is-,rto be understood that the specific drawing illustrations provided are supplied primarily to comply with the requirements of the Patent Laws, and

that the invention may have other embodiments which are intended to be covered by the appended claims.

, GENERALDESCRI'IPTIO N 7 Reference numeral 10 of FIG. lgenerally indicates the machine of my said U.S. Pat. .No. 3,672,015 asmodified in accordance with the present invention, which machine processes conventional flexible metallic conduit to form from same a plurality of conduit lengths having end fittings and wiring applied thereto.

The disclosure of said patent is hereby incorporated herein by this reference, but, for clarity some mention will be made of the basic components of said machine, employing the same referencenumerals as used in said patent to indicate corresponding parts.

The machine l0'draws a plurality of conduit strands 12, 14, 16 and 18 from the respective conduitrolls 20, 22, 24 and 26 (which individually rest on the respective discs 100, 102, 104 and 106 mounted lazy susan fashion) by a roller drive 27 that are fed through the ma chine cutting station 28 cut off shoulder 390 until they extend beyond the shoulder 390 a distance equivalent I to the desired length of conduiting required, whereupon the strands are simultaneously clamped against movement at the cutting station 28 by a clamp device 30, whereupon a band saw type cutting mechanism 32 operates to bring its band saw blade 34 into simultaneous engagement with the'conduit strands to cut off the respective conduit lengths 36, 38, 40 and 42.

The machine also includes power actuated fitting applying device 44 whereby conduit end fittings of the type disclosed in said patent are seated in the usual manner at the end portion of a conduit length by slipping the fitting as a whole over the rotating shaft 50, and then slipping the end of the conduit length on the shaft 50 behind the fitting and using the conduit to press the fitting against the rotating sleeve 52 coupled to shaft 50 by a slip coupling device (not shown but disclosed in said patent), whereby the fitting is clutched to the sleeve 52 at its flared end 56 and is rotated in the proper direction to thread it into the conduit end, with the siip coupling slipping when the fitting is properly in place.

After the conduit length cutting and fitting application has been completed, the machine 10 may be employed to apply the necessary electric wires to the resulting conduit lengths by employing the wire feed device 66 and the associated guide tube 68, and wire cutting mechanism where indicated at 70, whereby the wire is inserted in the conduit lengths and cut to size, in the manner described in said patent.

The machine 10 is electrically operated by employing the circuiting arrangement shown in- FIG. 6, whereby the machine when actuated operates the roller drive 27 in'an intermittent, repeating manner to feed through the machine the conduit lengths desired after which the feeding stops and cutting mechanism 32 operates to cut off the conduit lengths, after which the roller drive 27 again commences to feed through the machine the next set of conduit lengths to be formed.

As disclosed in said patent, the roller drive 27 generally comprises a driven roller 170 and an idler pressure roller 172, with the driven roller being disposed to support the conduit strands somewhat above the top surface of the top plate 82 of the machine frame 80, and the pressure roller 172 being mounted to be releasably pressed against the conduit strands being fed by the roller drive.

In accordance with this invention, the gear reducer 136 that is mounted on the lower plate 84 of the frame 80 drives a timing cam 750 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) that has operably associated therewith a microswitch 752 that is incorporated in the circuiting of FIG. 6 in association with relay 754 that starts and stops the roller drive motor 142, relay 754 is in series with reset counter 756 which is arranged to set the machine to provide the desired dimension of conduit length desired, and also to provide an instantaneous reading of the conduit length footage that has passed through the machine at any point of time. Cam 750 cooperates with switch 752 to close the switch contact 758 and 760 of relay 754 to provide the result indicated, by opening the normally closed contacts 780, and closing the normally open contacts v 782, of switch 752, relative to common contact 784. For this purpose, the cam 750 includes a cam portion 786 that follower 788 of microswitch 752 cooperates with. The counter device 756 is per se a conventional device equipped to sense and record electrical pulses, which in the case of this invention are used to represent the footage passing through the machine 10, and for this purpose the idler roller 172 has keyed to same a toothed rotary cam 790 cooperating with microswitch 792 (see FIG. 3), whereby as cam 790 rotates with idler roller 172, electrical pulses generated by the opening and closing of normally closed contacts 794 of switch 792, relative to its common contact 796, are supplied to the counter device 756 which operates to show on dial 757 the instantaneous footage being fed through the machine 10. The counter device 756 is arranged so that by setting the dial 759 to show the desired footage adjacent a zero datum mark 798, when the same footage number appears at the dial 757, counter 756 opens a circuit which, in view of the way the device 756 is incorporated in the circuiting .shown in FIG. 6, shuts off the roller drive 142. As already indicated, when the cam 750 moves to the posi- I tion where cam follower 788 leaves cam portion 786,

the normally closed contacts 780 of switch 752 are closed to energize another circuit in the counter device 756 that resets the dial 757 of the counter device 756 to the zero position that is shown in FIG. 7.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION The reset counter device 756 is a commercially available unit made and sold by Controls & Instruments of International Telephone & Telegraph Corporation, Des Plaines, Ill. as its Model No. CE62BE402. In the diagrammatic illustration that is provided, the showing of FIG. 7 is a front elevational view illustrating the device as it would be viewed by the machine user, the device 756 in practice being mounted on the right hand side of the machine 10 as it is viewed in FIG. 1. The device 756 comprises a suitable housing 800 having a front panel 802 equipped with viewing windows 804 and 806 through which the dials 757 and 759 are visible, with window 806 being normally closed by a swing down door 807 (that is omitted from the showing of FIG. 7). The door 807 is opened by pressing release button 808 and the dial 759 is in the form of a series of discs or wheels 810 bearing the numbers zero through nine which are adjusted by the user to set the desired footage for a particular run of cable lengths by aligning the appropriate numbers with the datum zero line 798. In the showing of FIG. 7, number 48 is aligned with the datum zero line 798 meaning that the machine is set to run conduit lengths of 48 inches in length.

The dial 757 also consists of discs 812 each bearing the numbers zero through nine. The counter device 756 functions, when the roller drive is operating, to show in inches on the dial 757 the instantaneous footage of conduit passing by the-cutting station shoulder 390, with the discs 812 being appropriately turned by the electrically operated mechanism of device 756 as that contained within its housing 800 for this purpose.

The device 756 also includes a button 814 for manual reset purposes. The button 814 is rotatably mounted and in order for the device 756 to be manually reset,

in my said patent, the drive roller being suitably journalled between the upright supports 174 and 176 that are in the form of the respective channel members 178 and 180 that extend through the opening 181 in the top plate 82 and are suitably fixed at their lower ends to the horizontally disposed angle members 182 and 184 that are suitably fixed in place as part of the frame 80. Drive chain 146, that drives roller 170 is powered by the roller drive motor 142 (through a suitable gear reducer), engages suitable sprocket 186 that is keyed to the shaft 188 of the drive roller 170.

Roller 172 is suitably journaled between the ends 190 and 192 of the suitable cross'head 194 that has its ends slidably received in the respective channel members 178 and 180, with the cross head ends 190 and 192 carrying suitable bearings 190A and 192A in which the roller shaft 172A of roller 172 is suitably journaled. Cross head 194 may be moved toward and away from the drive roller 170 to similarly position the pressure roller 172 with respect tosame by rotating screw memher 202 that threadedly engages a nut member 204 affixed to cross bar 206 fixed in place between the respective supports 174 and 176'. Screw member 202 is equipped with a pair of nuts-202A at its end portion 212, the lower of which bears against the cross head 194 to press the pressure roller against the conduit being fed through the machine. i

The cam member 790 is suitably keyed to the shaft 172A, which includes an end portion 820 which projects through a slot 822 formed in the web 824 of the support member'178. r

The cam member 790 is toothed as at 826 for coophousing 832 that receives the shaft 172A and slidably engages support member 174 for sliding movement therewith as roller 172 is adjusted relative to its support members 174 and 176. Housing 832 floats with roller shaft 790 for movement therewith. Switch 792 is suitably mounted on the housing base plate 835, and plate 835 has a right angled flange 837 in sliding relation to support member 174 for maintaining housing 832 against tilting.

Microswitch 792 is of the conventional microswitch type having normally'closed contacts 794, normally open contacts 832, and the common contact 796that are diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 7. As the follower 830 rides overthe respective teeth 826, the normally closed contacts 794 are opened and closed to provide the pulse signal to the counter device 756 that has been referred to.

The gear reducer 136 shown in my said patent is modified to have the second shaft 138A (see FIG. 4)

. project therefrom for actuation by same to which cam 750 is suitably keyed. in the form shown, cam 750 in addition to the cam portion 786 is formed with generally cylindrical cam surface portion 840 over which the roller type follower 788 of microswitch 752 rides when the roller drive is inoperative. Cam surface portion 786 will extend approximately 100 degrees of the circumference of the cam 750. Cam 750 in the specific form illustrated comprises cam disc 841 keyed to shaft 138A and a cam disc 843 of identical shape that is adjustably secured to disc 841 by screws 845. Cam discs 841 and 843 give cam 750 the basic cam shape shown, with the roller 789 of follower 788 being coplanar with and riding on both discs 841 and 843. By adjusting cam disc 843 relative to disc 841, the contact time of the switch 6 is lengthened or shortened 'by varying the effective circumferential length of cam surface portion 786. 1

Switch 752 is suitably supported adjacent cam 750 by suitable bracket 842 suitably afiixed to the frame lower plate 84. The gear reducer 136 also drives, through shaft 138, the main cam assembly that is shown at 140 in my said patent, which is modified to eliminate the cam surface required to actuate the whisker switch shown at 222 in my said patent since the whisker switch and its associated structures have been eliminated in favor of the control disclosed herein. As disclosed in my said patent, the gear reducer 136 is driven by main drive motor through a drive chain 849 that engages the gear reducer'drive sprocket keyed to gear reducer drive shaft 135A. Operably associated with the sprocket 135 is the cutter bar 550 of the wire severing device 70that is specifically disclosed in my said patent.

The wiring boxes and 162 contain the main switches of the apparatus 10. At the box 160 master switch 850 is employed, which when closed energizes terminal strip 852 from which counter device 756 is energized. Power is also fed from the switch 850 to switch 854, by way of a jumper wire 856, through which power is supplied tomotor 148 that operates the fitting applying device 44 and the wire feed mechanism.

Closing of the main switch 850 supplies power to switch 8580f box 162 through terminal strips 852 and 859 with the box 162 being wired similarly to the corresponding box illustrated in my said patent and accommodating the control switch device shown at 164 in FIG. 3 of my said patent that is used to operate the machine 10 when completed conduit lengths are being supplied with their wiring. Closing of the switch 858 starts the main drive motor 130 which continues to operate so long as the. machinelO isrunning. Motor 130 drives gear box 136 to .rotate cam 750 at a constant speed for cooperation with switch device 752 to control the basic starting and stopping of the motor drive.

Gear box 136 also rotates the camsthat operate clamp device 30 and raise and lower saw mechanism 32.

The remainder of the circuiting illustrated is e ssen- I tially the same as that disclosed in my said patent, with corresponding reference numerals indicating corresponding parts and some engineering design type improvements being incorporated that are not essential to the present disclosure.

It will therefore be seen that there has been provided a roller drive control for the machine of my said patent that reduces to a substantially fool-proof operation the functioning of the machine to provide conduit lengths of uniform length and substantially of the desired length, and that it does so in the manner which permits the operator to easily set the machine to provide the footage desired, check on the footage being supplied at any given time, and reset the machine to supply different footage, all in a very simple and carefree manner.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate the invention and the 1. In a machine for processing flexible metallic conduit, with said machine including a cut off station definconduit lengths formed by said cutting means, said feeding means including feed roller means engaging the conduit upstream of said cutting station and including drive means therefor and means for controlling said drive means to move predetermined'lengths of the conduit past said shoulder,

the improvement wherein said controlling means comprises:

a reset counter device including first indicating means for setting said counter device at a predetermined footage for said conduit lengths, second indicating means for indicating the progressive footage of said conduit lengths as said lengths move past said shoulder including pulse responsive means for actuating same, means for stopping said drive means when said lengths reach said predetermined footage, and means for resetting said second indicating means to the zero position on stopping of said drive means,

a constant speed cam and means for operating same at constant speed,

a cam operated switch including a follower riding on said cam and having normally open and closed contacts adapted to be closed and opened by said follower following said cam,

said drive means comprising an electric motor and means connecting same to a source of electric power including switch means controlled by coil means in series with said cam operated switch normally open contacts and said counter device drive stopping means,

said roller means including pulsing means connected to said counter device pulse responsive means for actuating said second indicating means in accordance with the movement of said roller means in feeding the conduit along the feed path,

with said cam operated switch normally closed contacts being connected to said counter device resetting means for actuating same when closed,

said cam including a cam surface including one surface portion proportioned whereby said follower closes the normally closed contacts and opens the normally open contacts and a second cam portion completing said cam surface whereby said follower opens the normally closed contacts and closes the normally open contacts, whereby said cam on being operated by its said operating means intermittently effects actuation of said roller means to feed the conduit lengths along said feed path saidpredetermined footage whereupon said roller means drive means is shut off and said reset counter device reset to control the footage of the next conduit lengths to be fed along said feed path. 2. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein said roller means comprises:

an upper roller and a lower roller engaging the upper and lower sides of the conduit, said upper roller being mounted for adjustment toward and away from said lower roller, said drive means being coupled to said lower roller for driving same with said upper roller being driven by engagement of same with the conduit, and wherein said pulsing means comprises:

a toothed rotary cam coupled to said upper roller for rotational movement therewith,- and microswitch means including a cam follower riding on said toothed cam for energizing said pulse responsive means. 3. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein: said surface is formed to effect said closing of said camoperated switch normally closed contacts and opening of said normally open contacts thereof to deenergize said coil means and open said power source switch means to stop said drive prior to actuating said counter device drive stopping means.

4. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein: said toothed cam and said microswitch means float with said upper roller on adjustment thereof. 

1. In a machine for processing flexible metallic conduit, with said machine including a cut off station defining a feed path for the conduit, means for selectively feeding one or more conduit through said station along said feed path including means for discontinuing said feeding upon the movement of a predetermined length of said conduit past said station, means for releasably clamping the conduit extending through said station against movement, means for simultaneously cutting off the conduit at an external shoulder extending transversely of said feed path to separate from the conduit lengths of same that are of substantially equal lengths, and means for applying end fittings to the ends of the conduit lengths formed by said cutting means, said feeding means including feed roller means engaging the conduit upstream of said cutting station and including drive means therefor and means for controlling said drive means to move predetermined lengths of the conduit past said shoulder, the improvement wherein said controlling means comprises: a reset counter device including first indicating means for setting said counter device at a predetermined footage for said conduit lengths, second indicating means for indicating the progressive footage of said conduit lengths as said lengths move past said shoulder including pulse responsive means for actuating same, means for stopping said drive means when said lengths reach said predetermined footage, and means for resetting said second indicating means to the zero position on stopping of said drive means, a constant speed cam and means for operating same at constant speed, a cam operated switch including a follower riding on said cam and having normally open and closed contacts adapted to be closed and opened by said follower following said cam, said drive means comprising an electric motor and means connecting same to a Source of electric power including switch means controlled by coil means in series with said cam operated switch normally open contacts and said counter device drive stopping means, said roller means including pulsing means connected to said counter device pulse responsive means for actuating said second indicating means in accordance with the movement of said roller means in feeding the conduit along the feed path, with said cam operated switch normally closed contacts being connected to said counter device resetting means for actuating same when closed, said cam including a cam surface including one surface portion proportioned whereby said follower closes the normally closed contacts and opens the normally open contacts and a second cam portion completing said cam surface whereby said follower opens the normally closed contacts and closes the normally open contacts, whereby said cam on being operated by its said operating means intermittently effects actuation of said roller means to feed the conduit lengths along said feed path said predetermined footage whereupon said roller means drive means is shut off and said reset counter device reset to control the footage of the next conduit lengths to be fed along said feed path.
 2. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein said roller means comprises: an upper roller and a lower roller engaging the upper and lower sides of the conduit, said upper roller being mounted for adjustment toward and away from said lower roller, said drive means being coupled to said lower roller for driving same with said upper roller being driven by engagement of same with the conduit, and wherein said pulsing means comprises: a toothed rotary cam coupled to said upper roller for rotational movement therewith, and microswitch means including a cam follower riding on said toothed cam for energizing said pulse responsive means.
 3. The improvement set forth in claim 1 wherein: said surface is formed to effect said closing of said cam operated switch normally closed contacts and opening of said normally open contacts thereof to deenergize said coil means and open said power source switch means to stop said drive prior to actuating said counter device drive stopping means.
 4. The improvement set forth in claim 2 wherein: said toothed cam and said microswitch means float with said upper roller on adjustment thereof. 